The historical Negro Leagues, U.S. professional baseball leagues made predominately of African Americans, began in the late 1880s and ended in the 1960s.

And this weekend, to pay tribute to the Negro Leagues, the Tigers will don the throwback uniforms of the Detroit Stars. At their Saturday game against the Atlanta Braves, the team will replace their normal Old English D for white uniforms with navy blue pinstripes, a large red star sewn on the left side and "Detroit" spelled out in red letters across the front.

The first 10,000 fans at the Saturday game will receive a Prince Fielder Detroit Stars Fathead courtesy of Comerica Bank.

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The weekend will begin at 5:30 p.m. Friday with the pre-game Detroit Star Singing Competition, and anyone with tickets is invited to watch the contest, taking place near Gate A. The contest, co-sponsored by Radio One, started with 45 participants and was narrowed down to 12 for the finals Friday. The winner will receive a $1,500 check and will sing the National Anthem at a Tigers game on Aug. 15.

Garnet Conerway, committee affairs coordinator for the Detroit Tigers, said judges will announce the winner after the competition Friday.

"We wanted a different feel for the Negro Leagues Weekend. Before, it was a step show. We wanted something different so we changed it to a singing competition seven years ago," said Conerway.

An Oakland County resident, Nataisha Dobbins of Pontiac, is one of the singers competing for the number one spot. She will be performing the Grammy-nominated song "Wrong Side of Love" by R&B artist Melanie Fiona.

Dobbins, who has been singing since she was 6 years old, said she hopes this contest will help kick-start her career in music. Dobbins works full-time overnight, from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. daily, to pay for her classes at Oakland Community College. While also being a full-time student majoring in business management, she doesn't have time for much else. She said any money will help her, and, if she wins, she will use the money toward her schooling.

"I have been singing all my life. I've been in a couple competitions, but a competition like this, I really haven't tried out for it. I just wanted to take a shot at it to see what happened," said Dobbins, 23, who is a member of the Detroit-based performing group Youth Under Construction. "If I win, it will start me on a career that I've been waiting on -- getting my name out there. It would mean a lot. I just feel appreciated more so than anything and thankful for the opportunity to do this."